Three 18-year-old Arsenal fans – who are members of notorious Ashburton Army – are handed three-year BANS from football for tragedy chanting during FA Cup clash with Liverpool in January | HO

Three Arsenal supporters part of the Ashburton Army have each received a three-year football banning order for tragedy chanting relating to the Hillsborough disaster during the club’s FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool in January, Mail Sport can reveal.

Liverpool won the tense match at the Emirates Stadium 2-0 after a Jakub Kiwior own goal and a 95th-minute Luis Diaz strike.

The Met Police made a number of arrests at the game. This has resulted in 18-year-old Ashburton Army members Ellis Chandler, George Oxley and Joshua Ricca receiving banning orders preventing the trio from attending football matches.

They all pleaded guilty to a section five public order offence (tragedy chanting). The bans for Chandler and Oxley mean they are not allowed within 1.5 miles of the Emirates.

The Ashburton Army, a renowned fan organisation known for their loud support of Arsenal at the Emirates, have previously been embroiled in controversy.

Three Arsenal fans, who are part of the Ashburton Army have been handed three-year football banning orders

The banning orders related to tragedy chanting during Arsenal’s FA Cup match with Liverpool

Mail Sport understands that Arsenal will be reviewing the group’s ticket allocation. It had previously been cut from 100 to 50.

A club statement read: ‘We strongly condemn this abhorrent behaviour. We have worked closely with the police to ensure swift action was taken and we welcome the football banning orders handed out.

‘We have a zero-tolerance approach to tragedy chanting and will always ensure strong action is taken against those found guilty of such behaviour.’

In May, Arsenal liaised with the police over antisemitic posts sent in the group’s WhatsApp group.

The messages were largely Holocaust-focused, though also included Israel-Palestine conspiracy theories and Tottenham’s reputation as a Jewish club.

The group — named after the site on which the Emirates was built — has around 200 members. Prospective inductees must prove they are willing to go above and beyond for the north London club, producing banners, writing songs, attending meetings and even assisting at food banks.

They have worked closely with the Gunners in recent years, as manager Mikel Arteta has been eager to build a stronger relationship between the team and fans.

The club have supported funding for two of the Ashburton Army’s banners and help with storage between matches. Despite forging a closer connection with the club, the group remains its own independent organisation.

The group remains its own independent organisation despite a close relationship with the club

Arsenal are set to review the ticket allocation given to the Ashburton Army at the Emirates

Superintendent Gerry Parker from the football policing unit told Mail Sport: ‘We are clear, there is absolutely zero-tolerance for tragedy chanting and we will deal with anyone who is found to be doing it.

‘A lot of the police officers working on football matches are fans themselves, we get the passion of being a supporter, but it’s very clear when this becomes a criminal offence.’

On Monday, two Manchester United fans were arrested for alleged tragedy chanting during Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Last June, Premier League teams came together to agree new measures for tackling the rise in tragedy-related chanting at matches.